Is a chiropractor considered a physician?

Sac Arrow

Sac Arrow

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Snorting his way across the USA
For the purpose of FAA Basicmed exams? My own doctor won't touch it so I have to find someone that will and I'm stumped.

There are outfits that will conduct DOT physical exams for commercial driver's license purposes, but they are either "registered national examiners" (probably won't cut it) or in many cases chiropractors doing this as a sideline. If a chiropractor will work, I'll jump on it.

Otherwise, if anyone knows an independent doctor in or near Northern California, post up or PM me if you wouldn't mind.
 
Sac Arrow said:
For the purpose of FAA Basicmed exams? My own doctor won't touch it so I have to find someone that will and I'm stumped.
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If the answer is no, you might try to find an Osteopath. They are DOs, not MDs, but they take the first year of Med School along with MDs and they can prescribe medications. After the first year of Med School, they specialize.

Worth a phone call!

-Skip
 
From the FAA BasicMed FAQ:
Q41:
I don’t have a doctor who is a M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) or D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathy). I do use a chiropractor physician and a naturopathic physician. Can I use them?
A:
The FAA relies on the determination of each state (as well as each territory and possession of the United States) as to which persons it will license as physicians. If the person holds a license as a physician issued by any state, territory, or possession, then he or she meets the requirement as a state-licensed physician. However, the FAA recommends that you check with the medical licensing board or authority in your state for clarification as to whether other classes of “state-licensed physicians” are felt to have the privileges, training and experience to conduct all portions of the Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist (CMEC).
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Id just find a better doctor and tell your old doc why you will no longer be giving him your business
 
Walboy said:
Try urgent care clinics. They do all sorts of physicals and the big chains are lawyered up enough not to turn away business. I think any MD will do. Just be careful and don't see a PA.
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A PA or NA can do the exam as long as a physician signs the form.
 
I had no problem with Mercy Commercial Clinic. It apparently does mostly DOT physicals. I walked in cold and came out with the physical. Cost me $56. I made sure the doctor was state licensed.

The doctor must be a "state licensed physician" and has the state number to put on the form.
 
Since its inception in May something on the order of 10,000 pilots have done the Basic Med. That's around 500 a day (since they don't do these things on weekends). But of course there are people who can't manage and think the whole thing's unfair.
 
Ask your AME if he'll do BasicMed physicals. Mine's doing them and is going with BasicMed for himself, too. I read yesterday that one of the regional flight surgeons for the FAA is going BasicMed. The initial AME push-back seems to be losing steam.
 
Sac Arrow said:
For the purpose of FAA Basicmed exams? My own doctor won't touch it so I have to find someone that will and I'm stumped.

There are outfits that will conduct DOT physical exams for commercial driver's license purposes, but they are either "registered national examiners" (probably won't cut it) or in many cases chiropractors doing this as a sideline. If a chiropractor will work, I'll jump on it.

Otherwise, if anyone knows an independent doctor in or near Northern California, post up or PM me if you wouldn't mind.
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It vary's by state. Don't know about CA but in VA, yes, they are state licenced physicians. There is one in my building doing BasicMed exams for $98.
 
steingar said:
Since its inception in May something on the order of 10,000 pilots have done the Basic Med. That's around 500 a day (since they don't do these things on weekends). But of course there are people who can't manage and think the whole thing's unfair.
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I have no doubt that there are people in some unfortunate locations where there are few options and all of them are refusing to do the exams (or belong to a clinic that has ordered them not to, for liability reasons real or imagined). Some folks might have to travel to find a willing physician. Hopefully the situation will improve with time, but that is far from certain. In the meantime though, if you have the wherewithal to jump in the aluminum tube (or the Amtrak), you can eventually find someone to do the exam and signoff. Your best choice might even be an AME.

I had no trouble finding a physician seeing me for the first time to agree to do my exam, here in rural VT. After some thought, I decided to go with an AME instead since it's unclear from the CMEC what standards are to be used for some of the vision tests and I suspected (correctly) that my aviation-naive doctor would balk at those. The AME was more than willing; he had been working with me to get back my 3rd class and had recommended that I apply. After reading about the John King case I decided that would be a nerve-wracking roll of the dice. I haven't regretted my decision for a minute.
 
Loaded question.

The short answer is: Yes they are 'physicians' because their own licensing boards write 'chiropractic physician' on their diploma (if the board of barbers called their licensees 'haircutting physician' then barbers would be 'physicians' too).
 
Stewartb said:
Ask your AME if he'll do BasicMed physicals. Mine's doing them and is going with BasicMed for himself, too. I read yesterday that one of the regional flight surgeons for the FAA is going BasicMed. The initial AME push-back seems to be losing steam.
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I've asked both local AME's and got turned down.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I've asked both local AME's and got turned down.
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Did you ask "Dr. Bob" Taylor? I was going to try him, as he has done my last couple of 3rd class exams. I have a friend who uses an AME that works out of the Skyways hangar at LHM. I can check with him, too.
 
Look at the form you will give the doctor. It does not ask him to answer yes or no, or pass or fail. It only ask him to check a box if he discussed it with you. Then at the end he certifies that you can drive a vehicle or airplane. Notice the form comes close to equating a vehicle with an aircraft.

As for the color vision test, he had a page with four squares on it -- red, green, yellow, blue. It's the same sheet for CDL.

Although I know it is happening, I am baffled why a doctor would not give the test. I see no advantage for going to an AME. The CDL doctor is faster and much less expensive.
 
John221us said:
Did you ask "Dr. Bob" Taylor? I was going to try him, as he has done my last couple of 3rd class exams. I have a friend who uses an AME that works out of the Skyways hangar at LHM. I can check with him, too.
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Yezzir, I did. Nozzir was the response I got. I like the guy, by the way.
 
I'll be looking into this in another 4-5 months. Until then, how does the vision part work? If I go to my PCP for my normal physical and we work out an arrangement for him to do my Basic Medical, do I need a vision/color test from somewhere else to bring with me?

(Yeah, I know, there's probably a website with this info.)
 
Skip Miller said:
If the answer is no, you might try to find an Osteopath. They are DOs, not MDs, but they take the first year of Med School along with MDs and they can prescribe medications.
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Your info on DO's is incorrect at best. They attend four year medical schools and then specialize post doctorate just like (what you might call) a regular Doctor. The main difference in their education is that they are required to study Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, which is not in the MD curriculum. Upon graduation they may compete for seats in all of the same residency programs as an MD.

This is not true of Chiropractic education and I'd be surprised if they can sign off BasicMed.

But don't take my word for it, ask @bbchien
 
Sac Arrow said:
Yezzir, I did. Nozzir was the response I got. I like the guy, by the way.
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That is disappointing. I'll check with my friends AME, I guess. I am with Kaiser, so there is not much hope of my general doc doing it. I'll let you know if I come up with anything.
 
Ravioli said:
Your info on DO's is incorrect at best. They attend four year medical schools and then specialize post doctorate just like (what you might call) a regular Doctor. The main difference in their education is that they are required to study Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, which is not in the MD curriculum. Upon graduation they may compete for seats in all of the same residency programs as an MD.
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My current PCP is a DO. I hope he doesn't retire for a while, I like him. My previous PCP was an MD and I liked him, too. The MD was a "by the numbers" guy and my DO is a "hands on" guy. I noticed it when I asked them to check my bum knees and hips. I don't know if that's the difference between just those two docs or MD vs DO. One guy went straight to the x-rays, the other moved my knees and joints around to feel what they were doing. Both came to the same conclusion, "We call that 'getting old'."
 
^^^ @Matthew has one who still does OMM. Many never do once they get the sheep skin.

[Disclosure: I know about this because my Ex is a DO who specialized in Psychiatry. This discussion was about as regular as Psychiatry vs Psychology]
 
MassPilot said:
A PA or NA can do the exam as long as a physician signs the form.
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And in many "urgent care" settings the PA or NP is the only one present, so the supervising physician isn't present to sign the form. Dont bother with minute clinic or Redi Clinic. There is no physician in the kiosk. You COULD go see a family or IM doc who also does AME on the side, and inquire if he will see you NOT as an AME, but as a regular physician for basic med. As long as you are not enlisting the physician as an AME, and using an application for an FAA medical (MedXPress) the physician is not supposed to act in the capacity as an AME, and is not an agent of the FAA aeromedical division. This guidance is actually given to AME's on the FAA's aeromedical website regarding BasicMed in the FAQ page, question 50 https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/basic_med/media/basicmed_faq.pdf.

MD's are ok. DO's are Ok.
Chiros, podiatrists, dentists and Nursing doctorates are not ok.

If you have any question about if they are a state licensed PHYSICIAN or not, go to your state's medical board and review the person in question's public license verification.
 
MassPilot said:
A PA or NA can do the exam as long as a physician signs the form.
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They can assist, but a state licensed physician must attest that he or she has "discussed all items on this checklist with the individual during my examination, discussed any medications the individual is taking that could interfere with their ability to safely operate an aircraft or motor vehicle, and performed an examination that included all of the items on this checklist." Hard to,do that when you're not in the office with the PA or NP.
 
MassPilot said:
Technically the AME medical exam does too but in reality it doesn't usually happen in either case.
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Well technically neither requires a digital exam, but in reality the physician, AME or not, is not going to spend much time there, regardless.
 
MassPilot said:
Technically the AME medical exam does too but in reality it doesn't usually happen in either case.
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Brad Z said:
Well technically neither requires a digital exam, but in reality the physician, AME or not, is not going to spend much time there, regardless.
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You guys must be a hoot at parties. I'll bet if either of you got that certain exam your doctor, AME or not, would find a large stick up there. Such amazing senses of humor you fellers possess. :D
 
Lachlan said:
You guys must be a hoot at parties. I'll bet if either of you got that certain exam your doctor, AME or not, would find a large stick up there. Such amazing senses of humor you fellers possess. :D
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You hear a joke 50 times and it starts to get a little stale.
 
Pilawt said:
I once got a medical report on a client from a neurologist. The guy's letterhead had a huge picture of a brain at the top of the page. Glad he wasn't a proctologist.
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A buddy of mine on the BBQ contest circuit is also an attorney. His business card said "xxx, Attorney at Law and Catering"

I, also, am glad he isn't a proctologist.
 
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